This is a question that comes up in our office quite frequently, especially around the time of sending out donation appeal requests.

At the Foundation, we continue to track everything we send to ensure that we’re spending our money wisely. Each dollar spent on mailings results in several dollars coming back to support the hospital. We watch this very closely, and we’ve been able to keep our expenses low in comparison to the amount of money people give. But if we’re sending too much mail to you, then that’s a waste, and we don’t want to do it. Overall, reaching out to people by mailing letters is a very efficient way for people and donors to be engaged with us and the hospital.

We know that not everybody can send a gift in response to everything received in the mail – especially with the economic downturn and job losses in the region. I want everyone to understand that you should only give when it’s the right thing for you to do – we wouldn’t think of asking for any more than that.

Another important point is the environmental impact of mailings. In our office we make every effort possible to reduce paper usage. It’s what we should all be doing. One of the easiest ways to reduce paper use is by setting up an Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) which is one of the most effective ways to help eliminate paper usage. For those who wish to regularly make a donation either yearly or monthly (at any amount), your donation will be automatically transferred to the Foundation to support patient care – with no paper required! This can be setup easily at your banking institution.

Over the past year we’ve done a lot of work to ensure our mailings (newsletters, appeals) are going to those people who wish to recieve them. If we’re sending more mail than you want, that’s not the best use of our resources. We would be happy to ensure that you only receive the right amount of mail from us. Just give us a call to let us know if you have a concern – 519-246-5906.